One Last Breath
by The Kookie
Summary: Draco finds Ginny in a dark place and attempts to help her. WARNING: talk of suicide


**Alrightie. Here's another story for all your DracoxGinny lovers out there. This one is a little darker then my previous story but the ending is rather cheerful. The reason for this? I was depressed while I wrote the first part but then I read a happy story and couldn't help being cheered up. Hence, the cheerful and corny ending. Anyway, there are thoughts and talk of suicide in this fanfic so please don't read this if any of that offends or disturbs you in any way. I don't think this is one of my best pieces but I was satisfied with it since it only took be about two hours to write. Anyway, please enjoy.**

**Disclaimer****: I own nothing. -sigh- All characters are owned by J.K. Rowling and various companies. **

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Footsteps pounded on the marble steps of the great staircase that led up to Hogwart's upper levels. Ginny Weasley was late for class once again and that was the reason that she was dashing down the steps, desperately trying to make it to the dungeons in 30 seconds, an impossible task for any human being but Ginny was attempting it anyway. Unfortunately, her attempt ended in disaster when her foot suddenly slipped out from under her and she went tumbling down the last couple of steps, landing in a heap at the bottom of the stairs. Getting slowly to her feet, she raised her head to survey just how bad the mess was. She was not disappointed as she stared around in despair at the jumble around her. Retrieving her bag, she carefully began to shove text books back into it, muttering profanities under her breath as she did so. Stupid stairs. She finally reached the last of the mess, not even bothering to hurry anymore. She was definitely going to be late now. Gingerly, she picked up the piece of parchment that had once been her two foot long Potions essay. Now it simply resembled a muddle of ink blotches and some indiscernible scribbles that had once been words.

"That's just bloody great," she griped, crumpling up the piece of parchment and throwing it over her shoulder rather hazardously. Cleaning up the spilled ink with a quick Scourgify spell, she slung her bag over her shoulder and started down the stairs to the dungeons, steeling herself for Professor Snape's lecture.

As she had expected, Snape was none too happy to see her enter his class fifteen minutes after she was suppose to be there.

"Would you care to explain yourself before I give you a week's worth of detention Miss Weasley?" the Potions' Master asked in a low, monotonous voice. Ginny opened her mouth and then closed it several times before hanging her head. "Just as I thought," Snape continued. "You have no excuses. Really Miss Weasley, I was expecting at least some kind of witty comeback from you. After all, you have been moved up into seventh year Potions because you did outstanding in your fifth year. Ah well. Detention with me every Friday until Halloween. I'll take your essay now." Oh brilliant. Not only was she going to be punished for being late but she was also going to be humiliated in front of the whole class because she didn't have your essay.

"I don't have it Sir," she mumbled, eyes fixed resolutely on the hard cobblestone floor. Snape's eyes widened slightly as he stared at her.

"What was that? I couldn't quite hear you," he said, staring menacingly down at the small red head in front of her.

"I don't have it Sir," she repeated again, louder this time. This was one of those times that she was grateful she hadn't allowed her mother to cut her hair. Now her red curls were long enough to hide her face when she bowed her head. They were infinitely helpful in these situation when she had to hide the blush that was creeping across her cheeks.

"For god's sake, speak up girl," Snape exclaimed, obviously not satisfied with her humiliation yet. At that moment, something inside Ginny snapped.

"I don't bloody have it alright! I tripped on the stairs and ink splashed all over it!" she practically shouted, now glaring angrily at Snape. Snape raised his eyebrows and nodded, a malicious smirk spreading across his face.

"Fifty points from Gryffindor," he sneered. "And there was really no need to yell." Ginny was practically grinding her teeth as she took her seat in the front of the class. She couldn't take this anymore. This was the third time she had been late for class this week. Her grades were slipping in several classes and Harry had politely told her that if she didn't shape up on the Quidditch field, he would be forced to ask her to leave the team. Over the past two weeks, she really hadn't spoken to anyone she knew except for unavoidable reasons. Ginny Weasley's life was crumbling around her.

It had all started when she had happened to run into Lavender Brown three weeks earlier. Ginny had been shopping in Honeyducks while she was waiting for Dean Thomas, her boyfriend, to arrive when Lavender had bumped into her. Of course, the mandatory "hello"s and "how are you"s ensued before the conversation turned to other matters. Lavender was rambling on about a guy that she had been admiring from afar and she had let slip to Ginny that the two of them had snogged in a broom closet the other day. Ginny had innocently asked who the lucky guy was and Lavender quickly replied "Dean Thomas". Ginny had been shocked. Sure, she and Dean hadn't exactly made their relationship too public but she had never imagined that he was cheating on her.

After a week of pretending she was fine, she had broken down into tears and her life was going downhill from there. However, Ginny Weasley was a fighter and she wasn't about to give up. She hung on to the little things. She remembered Dean's kind words. They might have been lies but they mad eher feel better. It was easier when she could just fool herself with them. She could feel herself slipping though. She had been more confrontational then usual. Sure, she had had a temper before but now she snapped at every little thing. She was late for class and her usually well maintained grades were falling rapidly. Ginny was fighting a losing battle, but she wasn't about to give up.

_Please come now I think I'm falling  
I'm holding on to all I think is safe  
It seems I found the road to nowhere  
And I'm trying to escape  
I yelled back when I heard thunder  
But I'm down to one last breath  
And with it let me say  
Let me say _

Occupied with her own thoughts, Ginny was quite oblivious to the snickers and murmurs coming from the back of the classroom, mainly from a group of some Slytherin boys.

"That she-Weasel sure has grown up a lot. Couldn't you just imagine her in bed? I bet she'd be an easy shag. After all, she was just dumped by her boyfriend," Marcus Flint mocked with a smirk. "I say that we try to get her in bed. I could beat all of you." Blaise Zabini snorted.

"Oh hardly. She'd be begging me to fuck her if I tried to get her in bed," Blaise chuckled. "But I do have to say that she'd be niiiiice." He drew out the last word, moving his hips in a perverted thrusting motion. A sigh came from the third member of the group and Draco Malfoy shook his head in disgust.

"Don't forget that she's a Weasley," he spat out, glaring at his friends ignorance. "It would be repulsive to shag her." He smirked and crossed his arms over his chest. The other two fell silent and watched their leader reproachfully. "Although I will agree that she has filled out nicely." The other two grinned at this and turned their gaze back to Ginny who was sitting several rows in front of them. Meanwhile, Draco tried to removed all images of the youngest Weasley from his mind.

Several hours later after a dinner that seemed like it would never end, Ginny found that she had wandered to the top of the Astronomy tower. She sat silently on the bench, staring up at the sky that twinkled faintly with the first stars of the night. She didn't want to think about anything anymore. She just wanted it all to go away. No one had noticed a thing yet. They probably just thought she was under some stress from all her classes. Sometimes she wished she wasn't quite so good at hiding everything. She had simply told her friends that Dean and her had decided that they weren't going to work out and had mutually broken it off. She said nothing of her sobbing as Dean explained to her that he felt more drawn to Lavender. Ginny knew the reason; Dean had mumbled it when she had asked him why he picked Lavender over her.

"Well, she's just a… little prettier than you," had been his reply. Ginny was okay with that. She really was. It was okay if Dean didn't like her. She knew that there would be other chances to find someone she really liked. It was no big deal.

Standing, Ginny wandered to the edge of the small stone area she was occupying. Even in the dim light, she could see all the way down to the castle grounds. The green grass looked like it was on fire as the sun slowly set on the horizon. It didn't look like it was so far down from here. It looked like she could just step off the stone and land on the grass. The whole thing would be very simple. She could just step off and then it would all be over. She wouldn't have to please anyone anymore. She wouldn't have to feel like she wasn't worth it. She wouldn't have to worry about anything. In that moment, Ginny wished that someone would suddenly appear and tell her that she shouldn't do it. Someone, anyone.

_Hold me now  
I'm six feet from the edge and I'm thinking  
That maybe six feet  
Ain't so far down_

"Don't jump." The cold voice interrupted her suicidal thoughts and Ginny looked up to see the one and only Draco Malfoy standing at the top of the stairs. When she had wished for someone to appear, she didn't mean the person she hated. Releasing her tense grip on the railing of the turret, she turned slowly to face the Slytherin.

"I wasn't going to," she spat out, glaring angrily at him.

"Easy Weaselette," Draco sneered. "I'm sorry that you're suicidal. You don't have to take it out on me-" There was a crack and Ginny's fist connected firmly with Draco's jaw. The punch did not move the Slytherin but he did sport a nasty red mark after Ginny had moved away rather quickly. When Ginny looked at the Slytherin again, his silver eyes were flashing angrily as he stared at her in shock.

"You little bitch! Did you just punch me?!" he asked incredulously, as if he could hardly believe his own words. He rubbed his cheek gingerly as he rotated his jaw to make sure everything was still working alright before he raised his eyes to stare at her quivering form. It was at that moment that he realized just how hard it was to stay furious at a girl when she looked like she was on the verge of tears, especially a girl that looked like Ginny Weasley did now. There was something beautiful about her sorrow, something dark and surprising that he had never seen before. It fascinated him.

Ginny was surprised when the anger faded from Malfoy's eyes and she slowly relaxed, rubbing her eyes furiously. She had thought that he would hex her for sure. She really hadn't been thinking when she had rushed forward and punched him. But how dare he think she was suicidal? She wasn't. Of course she wasn't! She was fine! She was just going through a rough time. That was about the point that she realized that she was not alright. She had just been thinking some very dangerous thoughts and she didn't even trust herself anymore.

"Help me…" she whispered, sitting down abruptly on the bench. She didn't even care that it was Draco Malfoy. She just wanted someone to notice her.

_I'm looking down now that it's over  
Reflecting on all of my mistakes  
I thought I found the road to somewhere  
Some where in His grace  
I cried out 'Heaven save me'  
But I'm down to one last breath  
And with it let me say  
Let me say_

Never in his entire life had Draco Malfoy ever felt remotely sorry for someone. In fact, he was never compassionate. He had never felt the need to be and had, frankly, never wanted to be. But seeing a girl, even a Weasley, in this shape could not be overlooked, even by him. Taking a hesitant step forward, his hand stopped rubbing his jaw and he placed it on her shoulder instead.

"What's wrong with you Weasley?" he questioned, raising one blond eyebrow at her. Ginny shrugged emotionlessly.

"I don't know," she answered shortly. "Everything's just been a mess." Draco couldn't quite make sense of all this. Instead of saying something, he opted on sitting down and patting her back awkwardly. After a moment, it was clear to him that she was not going to say anymore on the matter. Obviously, it was up to him to prompt her.

"Because..?" he asked lamely. The shoulders shrugged once again.

"Dean was cheating on me and he said that he was w-with the other girl b-because she was prettier t-then me…" Ginny mumbled. Finally, he was getting somewhere. Now he could assume that this whole mess was over a boy, a cheating boy obviously. The hand stopped its patting and he stared down at her for a moment before realizing she was shaking. At first he thought she was having some kind of bizarre seizure before he figured out that she was crying. Now Draco Malfoy could handle many things. He had faced nightmares that even grown men shivered at but the one thing that he could not deal with was a crying girl. He couldn't stand it. They were just not his forte at all.

"Oh…" he answered lamely.

Ginny really couldn't believe that she was crying in front of Malfoy. This was the boy who tormented and teased her and yet she was at her most vulnerable state in front of him. It surprised her even more that he was… patting her back? Strange. It was all beyond Ginny's comprehension at the moment.

_Hold me now  
I'm six feet from the edge and I'm thinking  
maybe six feet  
Ain't so far down_

After several minutes of simply sobbing with Malfoy sitting next to her, Ginny finally wiped her eyes and turned to look at the Slytherin next to her.

"Why are you helping me?" she asked thickly. She could have sworn that she saw the corners of Malfoy's mouth twitch up in something like a smile when she spoke.

"Silly girl. I'm not helping you out of my own free will," he said. His voice was quiet but the arrogant edge was still there. "You punched me and I would rather help then incur your fearsome wrath again."

If Ginny hadn't been so hopelessly confused already, she would have punched him again just for that sarcastic comment. However, she couldn't help smiling slightly.

"You're still an ass Malfoy," she insulted, although her voice lacked an edge.

"And you're still an annoying weasel," he retorted, a small smirk returning.

"Ass."

"Weasel."

"Ass."

"Oh shut it Ginny. Repeating it isn't making it come true." Ginny's eyes widened in shock at this comment.

"What? Do you actually believe that it's really that true?" Draco asked defensively. Ginny couldn't help snickering at this.

"No. That's not it," she replied, shaking her head. "You called me by my first name." Draco looked puzzled for a moment before shrugging ever so slightly.

"Maybe I did," he said defiantly. Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Still as stubborn as ever," she noted with some frustration in her voice. "When will you figure out that you're actually good inside. You're like a candy that's kind of bitter on the outside but the inside's just sugar." It was Draco's turn to roll his eyes.

"See? That's what gets you into these situations. You're so positive. If you're not positive, you don't expect anything so you're never disappointed," he said with a shake of his head. "Besides-" He cut off as Ginny abruptly threw her arms around his waist and poked him in the stomach.

"What was that?" Draco asked, eyes showing confusion. Ginny grinned at him.

"I'm touching your sugary center." Draco let out a groan of frustration and shook his head.

"Just don't go trying to jump off any towers, okay Ginny?" he replied, staring down at her. Ginny stared back at him with shining eyes.

"Kiss me and I won't," she replied sternly. Draco just stared at her in surprise.

"Are you serious?" he questioned, surveying her as if to make sure that she was actually real. Ginny nodded. "Why?"

"Just do it," Ginny exclaimed. "Maybe I happen to think that you're good looking."

"Well I wouldn't blame you for that," Draco shot back. "But that's really no reason-"

"Fine," she cut him off. "Maybe I think that there's more to you then the way you act."

"I'm not going to kiss you Ginny," he argued, although he could feel his resolve crumbling.

"Do it. I dare you," Ginny grinned wickedly at him. Well, Draco Malfoy was never one to back down on a dare. Shaking his head in bewilderment, he stared at her for a second longer before pressing his lips against hers.

_Please come now I think I'm falling  
I'm holding on to all I think is safe…_

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**There you have it. I KNOW the ending was hopelessly corny and I promise never to do it again. Well, actually I don't but sorry if some people didn't like that! I hope you enjoyed it and please review now. Constructive criticism is loved. D **


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